


Gravity Plays Favorites

by trippynightmare



Category: Cobra Starship, The Academy Is...
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Eventual Smut, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-01-09
Updated: 2018-01-01
Packaged: 2018-05-12 18:49:06
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,704
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5676715
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/trippynightmare/pseuds/trippynightmare
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Deciding on majoring in business has got to be the worst decision William has ever made in his life. But it might also be the best decision he has ever made in his life.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. One

Deciding on majoring in business has got to be the worst decision William has ever made in his life. In high school, his guidance counselors and parents encouraged him to pursue a career in business. On career days, business majors would drop by to talk about the benefits of being an accountant, working in finance and marketing, etc. The only thing that caught William's interest was the pay. Isn't that basically what everyone cares about? 

He didn't actually know what he was getting into until his third year in college. The first two years were somewhat of a breeze. Just taking his general education courses a few times a week. It wasn't that bad, until he got to the actual courses that prepared him for a career in business. Statistics, sociology, psychology, marketing- fuck that. The only way to graduate in time and avoid paying for summer classes was to take as many as he could this year. 

It was barely March and he was already struggling to keep up with his Human Resource Management class, in which case he currently had an F in. Most of the assignments he had to do were online and that was a problem for William. He lived in probably the cheapest apartment in Los Angeles, which of course had shitty Internet. Which meant that he was almost always missing his homework deadlines. And yes, his professor suggested William use a public library or the campus computers, but William had a job to get to immediately after class everyday. Surprisingly, Subway had a strict policy on attendance and no matter how much William begged, his boss was never flexible with his schedule.

Now, this has all led to a problem. Too busy with his other classes and no access to Internet, William didn't realize that his professor uploaded an assignment in which 'All students must apply for a internship in the following locations in which you will be able to apply and gain skills we have discussed about in lecture'. Beneath the assignment was an attachment that listed the openings for positions as interns. And of course, with William's luck, he found out about it too late when one of his classmates showed it to him. 

Thankfully, his professor allowed him to use one of the other student's laptops in class to try to get a spot. Glancing through the lists, most of the places that would be considered the easiest to do (restaurants, department stores) were nearly filled and the times listed would clearly interfere with his shifts. It wasn't until he found the only business that no one signed up for and had a late shift- 10pm to 3am. William was confused until he looked at the name. 'Cobra Strip Club'. Oh, William thought, that made sense. 

Of course no one signed up for it. It's a fucking strip club. William closed down the tab and turned the laptop off. Once class was over, he walked over to his teacher, who was beginning to already pack his things. 

"Professor Hayes, I need to talk to you about the assignment," he started, glancing to the doorway when the last few students were walking out. 

"Ah. The internship? Were you able to choose a place or is there a problem?" He glanced up at William with a raised eyebrow, pausing in storing papers away.

"Yeah, there kind of is a problem. The only place I could actually go to is that.." He turned to look at the doorway, and even though they were the only two in the class, he still felt the need to speak in a hushed tone. "That strip club."

His professor let out a small chuckle, nodding. "Yes, I'm aware. The university pays businesses to offer these opportunities. And they need to make sure that they pick businesses with various hours. No one ever picks that particular location, but, I'm afraid there is no other option," he explained, much to William's dismay. 

William sighed, looking down to fidget with his fingers and thought about it shortly. "No other choice?" he asked, with a small hint of hope.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Beckett. It's only for a month and believe it or not, the owner of that place does work on a lot of the things we discuss in our curriculum. I'll even throw in some extra credit. Students usually pick the easy places to work at. I can guarantee you a passing grade in this course."

William's eyes widened slightly. A passing grade? That certainly seemed to sweeten the deal. It can't be that hard managing a strip club. Then again, he had to consider the image of running into someone he knows there. But the chances of that happening are pretty small.

"Yeah. I'll do it," he agreed, nodding.

"Good. I'll send you the details to your school email," his professor said before picking up his briefcase and walked out of the class.

William sighed, running a hand through his hair before following his instructor out. It can't be that bad, right? 10PM to 3AM. He can probably take an Uber home. Most likely take the bus to a street nearby. He's just recently turned twenty one so it's not like it should be weird. 

 

Later that day, William was sitting on his couch with his laptop, constantly refreshing the page to see if he would get lucky and actually access his email. Fortunately, after approximately ten minutes of pressing F5 repeatedly, his screen began to load. He opened the most recent email from his professor and sure enough, there were the details. Cobra Strip Club, along with the address, the number, and the owner's name. Gabriel Saporta. William read the information over and over again, slowly processing it. "Fuck, I can't believe I'm doing this," he muttered quietly to himself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading & leaving kudos! Don't forget that if you're interested in doing a Gabilliam roleplay, drop a comment or send me a message on tumblr (fucking-casual)!


	2. Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Oh, and William? Wear formal-casual clothes next time you come here. You look like a customer."

It was the weirdest thing ever. Normally by eight o'clock, William will have been showered and in his pajamas, working on any homework he could. Now, he was showered but dressed in his regular attire: t-shirt and skinny jeans. Assuming it was a strip club, it's not like the employees dressed in any formal way. By nine, he left and two buses later, he arrived a street away from the club. Surprisingly enough, the streets were filled with people and there was quite a bit of traffic. 

It was very strange for William out be out this time of night. He wasn't used to being in this type of atmosphere. Despite the time, the streets were more lively and excitement filled the air than it ever did during the day. He passed by a few girls, clearly dressed for some sort of occasion before finding the entrance. The music and bass could be heard from several paces away and it nearly made William flinch. 

He fished out his wallet from his jeans and pulled his ID out and handed it to the bouncer, who glanced at him briefly before pointing a flashlight at it and nodding to him, passing it back to William. Trying to seem as casual as he possibly could, he stepped inside and tried to avoid looking towards the center where the stages were. He didn't even care that the girls were nearly naked or wearing skimpy clothing. Strip clubs just weren't William's thing and neither were girls in general. 

William briskly walked to the bar towards the right wall of the club and stood by until he got the attention of one of the bartenders. "Hey, do you know where I can find the manager?" he asked, raising his voice slightly so he could be heard over the sound of the loud music pumping through the speakers. 

The bartender nodded quickly and handed a drink to a nearby customer before whispering to another bartender and gestured to William. It wasn't long before the other girl bartender, who gave him a friendly smile and tugged him by his arm, took him towards a hallway near the corner. 

For being a small and narrow hallway, it wasn't as vacant and dark as he imagined it would be. There were tons of women leaning against the wall, some on their phones and some talking to others. He had to look at them with an apologetic look as the bartender led the way to a door at the end and knocked before opening it. "Good luck," she muttered with a small smile before walking away. 

William mumbled a quick 'thank you' before stepping pass the doorway and closed the door behind him. He looked up at the rather large desk with piles of folders and papers to find a man typing diligently on his laptop. He waited a few seconds to see if the man would notice that he was there, but of course, he didn't. So William cleared his throat and took a few steps forward. "Um. Mister.. Saporta?" he asked shyly, trying not to seem as awkward as he knew he was. 

William especially tried not to feel as intimidated when the man's eyes shot up to glance at him for about two seconds before turning his attention back to his screen. "You need something, kid?"

"Uh, yeah," he started, waiting for the other man to answer. But all he did was continue typing and gesture for him to continue without ever looking up. 

"I'm working as an intern for you.. for my class. My teacher sent you an email," he explained quickly, biting his lip nervously.

Now, Mr. Saporta seemed interested and paused what he was working on. "Oh, yeah!" He finally raised his head and William was finally able to get a better look at him. For a strip club manager, William would have guessed that the boss would have looked older, possibly more creepier. But this man was young, not as young as William, but not enough to be considered old either. And he was very good-looking. He was fairly tan, had a strong jaw line, and whoa- he's standing up and he's a bit taller than William and thin but muscular under his suit. William didn't even realize how much he was staring at him until he noticed that Mr. Saporta was staring right back at him, looking like he was expecting something. 

"Oh-wait. Did you say something?" William asked, snapping back to reality and tried not to blush. 

"I did. I'm required to ask a lot of other things too, but," Saporta said, shrugging. "What do you expect out of working here?"

William bit his bottom lip, not knowing whether to state his opinion or whatever answer a manager is looking for. This is like being in an interview all over again. "I- uh. I don't know. I mean, it's a strip club?" 

Saporta raised an eyebrow at him, chuckling as he shook his head and beckoned William over to his side of the desk, in which he quickly obeyed. "Yes, it is a strip club. If you picked this because you thought it'd be easy, you're wrong," he started, picking up about five stuffed portfolios from a drawer. "I don't let any of my employees spend their time getting drunk or being near any of the stages. There's a door near the back of the club that sends you to my office, where you'll be working." He walked over to the corner of the room, where he placed the files down on a small table and unfolded a metal chair in front of it. "You're going to be spending most of your time here, not out there."

William watched the older man in surprise, eyeing the folders dreadfully. He followed him and stood beside the table, reading the messy handwriting on the top folder which read "Electricity Bills & Plans". 

"I'm going to need you to read through the documents inside this folder and double check that they add up on the finances page. You're not dealing with actual payments or money. Use this," he instructed, pulling out a white laptop from behind a cabinet by his desk. "You're going to use online spreadsheets to make it easier for me. Questions?"

William grimaced slightly at the amount of work he had to already. He's been in here for like five minutes and he already has more work than what he had in the first two of weeks of the semester. "No, I'm good," he mumbled, taking a seat in the chair. 

"Good." Saporta walked back over to his desk and sat down, already focusing on what was on the computer and began to type. William had opened the top folder, skimming through the pages he was starting to hate already. Halfway through his work, Saporta's cell phone rang and he began to walk towards the door to answer it. "Oh, and William? Wear formal-casual clothes next time you come here. You look like a customer."

\--

Once William was inside a taxi cab when he was finished, he realized that working for Saporta wasn't all that bad. He let him call him by his first name, Gabe, when William had questions. And although he was exhausted and still had homework to do when he would get back, there were a lot of perks to working there. When he finished his work early, Gabe would let him use the laptop to work on any assignments. One of the coworkers went out to buy food and hadn't forgotten that William was there. He didn't socialize much with anyone else since only very few people were allowed to be in Gabe's office for anything other than business-related reasons. 

But Gabe wasn't a mean manager, at least from what William had seen. It was clear that he cared about the property. Not that William was eavesdropping or anything, but Gabe seemed very friendly based on the conversations he had over the phone. The other employees didn't seem afraid or intimidated by him either and appeared to be in good moods throughout the entire night.

Overall, it was very tiring. The last time he stayed up this late, no one else in the building was overpowering the wifi and William used it to his advantage to finish an essay and ended up going to sleep an hour before he had school. Thank god Gabe had a coffee maker in his office and allowed William to use it three times while he was there. What interested him the most about the job was his boss. There was something about Gabe that William just didn't even know how to explain. It was the way he carried himself, calm and relaxed but always attentive, the way his jaw moved slightly when he wanted to say something to an employee but tried to keep his cool. 

Either way, William was excited to get back and fell asleep, trying to convince himself that it was the work he was looking forward to.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for those reading and leaving kudos! I would have uploaded this last week if it weren't for darn food poisoning. Don't forget to drop a comment if you are interested in doing a Gabilliam roleplay. You can message me here or on tumblr (fucking-casual).


	3. Three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He wouldn't have imagined that someone like Gabe, especially someone in his position, would have studied women and.. not in a sexual way. But still, it was impressive.

William had no idea what the hell he was supposed to wear. He stood in front of his closet, giving disapproving looks at every single article of clothing he owned. He felt like a fucking teenager girl going on a date but he was only looking for something appropriate for work. The employees didn't seem to dress so fancy and neither did Gabe. The only thing he could use for reference was from what he heard in class. Last year, his Intro to Business 101 course spent an entire three class sessions talking about attire. With that in mind, he picked out black skinny jeans and a white dress shirt along with a purple and black striped tie. He figured this would look professional enough for someone who hangs out in the back all night long anyway. 

This time, he brought his school bag with him and shoved in his textbook for his Production and Inventory Management class, planning to get at least some reading done. With one last check at his phone, he saw that the bus was going to come by soon and this was the only one he could take, otherwise, he'd definitely get to the club an hour late. He didn't even bother with the tie and shoved it in his bag. 

Once he left his apartment, he began his ten minute walk to the bus stop briskly. If there was anything William wouldn't do, is run. He has long legs, he would just speed walk. It's worked for him whenever he woke up late and barely made his early morning classes. When he finally arrived at his stop, the bus arrived within two minutes. 

He sat down in his seat near the back exit of the bus and couldn't help but wonder about what tonight would be like. When he mentioned to one of classmates where he was working and the hours, they couldn't believe it. He got home late as hell and still, William found no problem with it. Yes, he was tired but nothing a few dozen cups of coffee couldn't fix. 

Finally arriving at the club, with ten minutes to spare, he made his way through the back and stepped into Gabe's office. He was surprised to see how laid back Gabe was compared to the last time he was here. Instead of sitting at his desk, typing away, he was standing, pacing around his office and eating a salad. William glanced around and noticed that he was watching a tv show from his tablet. He especially noticed that Gabe wasn't wearing his suit- just a nice looking top and jeans. Gabe looked up at William when he stepped in and nodded his head, busy chewing his food. He gave him a small, friendly smile and made his way over to the corner, dropping his bag by his feet. 

Gabe followed him, tapping a folder on William's desk with the end of his fork. "This is easy stuff. Add up all the tips and divide them equally so that everyone gets their monthly bonus," he explained quickly before turning his attention back to his tablet. William nodded, biting his lip as he opened the folder, raising his eyebrows. There were probably about nine envelopes, stuffed with bills. Underneath them was a long list of names, who he assumed were the employees. 

He took his phone out to use as a calculator and opened the first envelope, his eyes widening slightly at the large stack of various bills. Most were ones, few were fives, and some of them consisted of twenties and fifties, with the occasional hundred dollar bills. Just from looking at them, William knew it was enough to cover two semesters worth of books. 

It took nearly three hours to finish. At first it only took him about an hour and a half to count and divide it but he didn't want to risk getting in trouble for miscounting so he recounted about two times. Once he was finished, Gabe collected them and said he was allowed to stick around and do whatever he wanted as long as he didn't go out to the floor. He still had about four hours left so he took the extra time to his advantage to work on homework. 

About thirty minutes after he started his work, he felt Gabe's presence behind his shoulder and tapped his pen against the desk, trying not to make it even more awkward by looking up so instead, he just stared down at his paper. It took about ten seconds before Gabe actually spoke up. "What the hell is this? I've never heard any of these terms," he commented, leaning down to get a better look at the pages of William's book. 

William let out a small sigh, biting down on his bottom lip as he shrugged. "I dunno. I'm just supposed to be working on vocabulary," he said, fidgeting with his pen. 

"Do college professors really think that you're going to need this?"

All William could do was stare down at the pages in front of him with a blank expression on his face as he shrugged. "This is bullshit. I've literally never ever seen these words before. Is this even fucking English?" Gabe continued, reaching down to flip through the other pages, scoffing. "Vocabulary? Knowing what these words mean won't land you a job. Being in business has nothing to do with knowing what this."

William furrowed his eyebrows in confusion, looking up at Gabe. "What do you mean? This is like, basics for me."

"Kid, I don't even have a major in business management. I have a major in Women's Studies," he said with a laugh, moving to his desk drawer and pulled out a framed diploma, holding it up for William to see. Now, that surprised him. He wouldn't have imagined that someone like Gabe, especially someone in his position, would have studied women and.. not in a sexual way. But still, it was impressive. 

"Huh," he muttered, raising his eyebrows as he glanced down at the pages of his books. "Maybe I should major in something else then. Like, biology," he added sarcastically, the corners of his lips twitching up into a small smile. He heard Gabe chuckle and move away from his desk. "Yeah, that would be a blast."

~~

Two a.m. came a lot quicker than the last time Will was here. Gabe kept stepping in and out of his office, the music and voices overflowing the otherwise silent room every time the door was opened. While his phone was plugged into the wall, he began to fidget with the stupid tie he brought with him but couldn't figure out how to actually wear it properly. At least he was grateful that Gabe cared about how he looked, considering there was about two mirrors on each wall in the room. He stood up and glanced at his reflection, setting the tie around his neck. He could never figure out how to actually wear a tie, not without the help of a YouTube tutorial, at least. 

He must have been pretty focused on trying to make this work since he didn't notice Gabe come in. Didn't notice Gabe glancing at him to see how far along he was doing. He also must have been doing a crappy job because he felt Gabe walk up behind him, turning him around to face him. "You've been doing something that takes thirty seconds for about fifteen minutes, kid," he muttered under his breath, amusement lingering in his voice. 

But William stayed silent and tried to ignore the way his cheeks were probably turning into a soft pink and focused on the way Gabe's hand moved around his neck and fiddled with the tie with ease. And then possibly tried to ignore the way the older man's fingers tightened around the knot at the base of his throat, thinking that it was just his mind playing tricks on him when Gabe's fingers seemed to push upward, restricting his airway for just half a second. 

Then he also tried to ignore the way Gabe smirked slightly at him before going back to his desk.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't forget that if you're interested in doing a Gabilliam roleplay, drop a comment or send me a message on tumblr (fucking-casual)!


	4. Four

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “How much did you drink?” were the first words that came out of Gabe’s mouth.

It was Friday evening and William was beginning to get ready to leave for the club when he received an email from Gabe. 

William,  
I'm going to work around midnight so there may not be any work for you to do tonight. You are free to go into the office to work on homework or you can not show up. You don't have to reply to this, but know that whatever you want to do tonight is up to you.   
Gabe. 

It's not like he had anything else to do, honestly. College took a toll on his social life and friendships. Everyone he knew was busy almost every night and the only people he knew were classmates that never exchanged numbers. He could at least take advantage of the free Internet and coffee pot in Gabe’s office. William considered his options for clothing for tonight. He didn’t have to break out the expensive and semi-formal clothes for tonight if he wasn’t being supervised or expected to do work. 

Despite his mind being constantly reminded of all the other work he had to do in his other classes, William found himself often thinking about what Gabe had told him. He was working as an intern under the supervision of someone who didn’t even have a BA in business, yet there he was. So far, his experience was turning out completely different from the expectations he had initially. Gabe was obviously different from the other employers he heard his classmates talk about. He didn’t know if it was a result of a strip club being generally easier or more casual than other locations but William has seen the paperwork. If there was anything he learned from his introductory business classes, it is that most businesses function the same. Either way, he was receiving credit by being there but the thought lingered in the back of his mind. 

William showed up at around fifteen before eleven and walked down the familiar hallway to the office. It was weird being there when Gabe wasn't. It almost felt like he was sneaking in which was ridiculous. Even though he didn't have to sit in his desk in the corner, he still did it. Sitting at Gabe's desk would have made him anxious, thinking that maybe Gabe wouldn't like that. Or William might move something and then Gabe would notice and get mad at him. Overall, it made him paranoid.

It took about nearly forty minutes before the quiet room was filled with three other employees. He glanced up from his book, raising an eyebrow at the two ladies and guy that barged in. He didn't really remember their names and when he tried to do it, he mistook Rachel for Casey, which was one of the strippers and unintentionally embarrassed her. "Hey, Will, do you want to go out to the bar? Someone bought shots for everyone," Ben slurred, holding a glass of what looked like vodka in his hand and used his hand to prop himself up against the wall. William couldn't help but cringe slightly- he went to college, he was used to this type of behavior but in a workplace, it worried him somewhat, even if they were in a business where alcohol was a necessity contributor to profit. "Nah, I'm fine," he replied, tucking his pencil behind his ear and looked back down at his pages. 

"Are you sure? You have nothing to lose!" one of the girls - maybe Lisa - prompted as she came over to close William's book, but making sure there was a piece of paper there to hold his place. "It's free and at least come get one."

William chewed on his bottom lip, glancing up at the faces of Gabe's employees, two of which were standing by the doorway and were completely already out of their own element. He doesn't mind having a drink, and it's not like he is working, and Gabe isn't expected to be here anytime soon. "I guess one wouldn't hurt," he said with a small smile as he stood up. To the girl's surprise, she linked her arms with him and stepped out of the office. 

~~

Traffic was always horrible the later the night got. Some people thought peak hours were bad- they had no idea what it was like to drive during this time. It was nearly five times as worse as morning hours since people were beginning to drive home or out to parties. He wouldn't have had to show up late tonight but William's professor left him a voicemail asking him to submit the boy's progress report and a time log of hours he spent in his office. This was the first time a college student had to do an internship at his club so it's not like Gabe knew what to do. He found it easier to just cancel tonight's workday for William and let himself have a late dinner and relax at home to work on submitting the boy's hours. 

By the time he got there, it was a little bit past midnight. He didn't expect William to be here, honestly. Even though he knew the boy liked to work on his homework here since he gave him the Wi-Fi password. But what college student spent their free day working on homework anyway? He parked behind the club and walked through the back, heading to his office. A familiar backpack and stack of books in the corner caught his eyes, immediately recognizing those as William's. He didn't see him anywhere near here though. 

He took his jacket and left it on his chair before heading out of his office and towards the bar. Even if William wasn't in his office, he was sure at least one of his employees would have seen him walk in. He had to know, mostly for safety reasons- William was here for school reasons and even if he was at least twenty one, Gabe was still responsible if anything happened to him here, despite him not being an employee.

The fact that William was sitting at the bar with the rest of his employees was one thing, but there were literally about ten different glasses on the table and his employees, who were supposed to be working, were chatting away and drinking with him. Gabe only ever had to deal with incompetent workers twice during his entire stay here and now, he had to deal with six of them plus someone who was here for their school work. Before he knew it, his legs were already walking him to the table and had a firm grip on William's arm, pulling him away. 

"All of you, clean this up. Whatever you ordered is getting taken off your paycheck and you can forget about bonuses this month," he said in a voice low enough that the customers wouldn't overhear but loud enough to make his point. He turned, dragging William with him back into his office and tried to ignore the staggering steps the boy was taking. Once they were inside, Gabe ushered him to the couch before standing in front of him and letting out a deep sigh. He really didn’t have to treat William like a kid, since he wasn’t a minor or under twenty-one. He also didn’t have to be a complete hard ass because the kid wasn’t even an employee, but Gabe remembered signing a bunch of paperwork about appropriate conduct for college students when he first allowed the club to function as a place for internships. 

“How much did you drink?” were the first words that came out of Gabe’s mouth. 

“Just- like, maybe three and a half,” William mumbled. It was not enough to get him hammered but it was obvious that he was definitely not sober at the moment. He lifted his head to get a better look at the older man’s expression and it made his stomach twist uneasily. It was obvious that Gabe was clearly disappointed, maybe even angry with him and suddenly, William became extremely aware of just how much he did not want that. Gabe had been pretty lenient with him during his time here so far and William did not want to come off as someone who took advantage of his kindness. 

“Fuck, I- I’m sorry, I can clean up or…” William trailed off as he started to stand up and took a few steps towards his own desk, but was kept in place by Gabe’s hand on his arm once more. 

“No, it’s…” Gabe sighed, glancing back towards the doorframe to avoid keeping eye contact with him. He was pissed, obviously. This was a place of employment and alcohol was fucking expensive. The fact that his employees were pretty much wasting inventory that could have gone to customers was exceptionally annoying. The worst part about it was how he felt about William. Gabe was good at reading people; it’s one of the qualities that help in the business community. He knew right off the bat that William was timid, probably too afraid to take risks like drinking at an internship. Gabe had the right to contact his professor to let him know, but he didn’t want to do that. He wasn’t an asshole and despite not knowing William very well, he knew he did not want to hurt him in any way. “I won’t say anything. I’m not going to lecture you, just… sit here.” 

William did nothing but stare at Gabe in confusion for a solid three seconds before sitting back down on the couch, knees pressing against each other and hands folded in his lap. He reminded Gabe of a child who had just gotten scolded. There was nothing but silence as the older man turned to his desk and sat down. William was expecting a lot worse, but he wasn’t going to try and question the other’s intentions. Not when Gabe had the literal power to call his professor, potentially get dismissed from the internship, not receive the hours needed to pass the class, and delay his graduation by at least a semester. 

Other than the occasional phone call, it was fairly silent in the office for the next hour. William was quite anxious by this point and settled on his back with his eyes closed. He didn’t want to be the first to break the silence and the alcohol he consumed was already giving him a slight headache. The quiet sounds of keyboard typing across the room was enough to half lull him to sleep anyway.

Gabe was usually short-tempered and easily annoyed. He couldn’t get mad at William as much as his conscience was telling him to. It wasn’t his fault the kid was easily likable. His eagerness to do well in school was admiring, even though Gabe was old enough to know that it was pretty much pointless. William had a stronger work ethic than some of his employees and the fact that he didn’t even have to /pay/ him was a deal sweetener. Plus, he assumed this was basically karma since he did not finish typing out William’s progress report and hasn’t even started on counting the hours he’s finished so far. Doing this basically felt like homework for Gabe anyway. He’ll admit- there were things on this form that he had to google. 

By the time he was finished, and it seemed professional enough, Gabe sent it back to the kid’s professor. His eyes cast upward, eyeing the other’s form for a minute. He couldn’t tell whether he had fallen asleep or was just too intoxicated to actually sit up on his own. Gabe was used to it. He worked in a place that served alcohol, so he had his fair share of drunk individuals in his midst constantly. William wasn’t expected to work tonight, so Gabe decided it would be easier to treat him like a guest in his office. That meant less liability anyway. 

“Hey,” Gabe murmured as he stood up, jacket in hand while looming over the younger one. He usually stayed at the club until closing time, especially on Fridays and weekends since it was the most busiest. However, he would make an exception for tonight. It seemed like everyone was all over the place and he wasn’t in the mood to deal with drunk employees. Plus, he had William to worry about. Sure, the easy choice here would be to send him home via taxi or an Uber, but Gabe didn’t want to do that. For some reason unknown that he couldn’t come to terms with for the past half hour, he decided to drive him home. All he wanted was for the kid to get home safe. That was it. He was naturally protective. “I’ll take you home.”

Gabe was able to note that William didn’t drive there. Parking in an overpopulated city was already terrible and most establishments had very few parking options. There were times when Gabe couldn’t even find spot in his own lot or had to pay every two hours by the meter. He was an observant guy and caught on to things that most didn’t, but he was glad that William was not sober enough to notice it right away. William said nothing and sat up, pressing the heel of his right hand against his eye for a moment, grimacing at the dizziness and unsettling feeling in his stomach. 

Getting them out of the club was short but awkward. Gabe had the assumption that most college students were lightweight drinkers, at least that’s what he acquired from his own experience. Five minutes into walking William out of the club had proven him wrong. He didn’t say anything; Gabe just thought he was too anxious to actually speak with him, which was fine. He didn’t care. Having to physically sit William in the passenger seat of his car and buckle him up was weird. The kid had his eyes closed for most of the walk that Gabe was almost worried about him throwing up in his car. When he had asked for directions to William’s apartment, William just mumbled an address before resting his head against the already fogged up window. What else could he have said? He took the bus and never memorized the route.

It wasn’t an issue at first. He had received a copy of William’s emergency contact and basic home address information from his professor. Again, liability. It was somewhere in his office and Gabe wasn’t about to endure /another/ walk with him back inside or leave him here alone. The car ride was not as bad as he thought it’d be. There were a lot of cars but thankfully, intersection lights were faster at this time of night so he was able to get home within fifteen minutes. Taking an employee home like this with him wasn’t professional and Gabe was more than aware of that. Despite the paperwork he filled out claiming that he should treat William as an employee as part of the ethical code of internships, Gabe just focused on the fact that he was dismissed tonight. Therefore, by extension, this was okay. 

There was quiet music playing on the radio and the cold window pressed against his forehead helped sober William up fairly quickly. He still had butterflies in the pit of his stomach and his palms were slightly sweaty. He kept his eyes closed, mostly because he did not want to look at Gabe and accidentally strike up a conversation. William spent the car ride wondering what to say when they parked. Obviously apologize, but there was really nothing he could do to reverse any damage done. Staying quiet sounded like the better option. 

When William eventually opened his eyes, he knew that they were headed somewhere else. The area did not look familiar and the sounds of cars were beginning to subside. They drove down what seemed like a long street, sidewalks lined with tall palm trees and few street lights illuminating the dark road. The houses were big, most of them two story and the lack of homeless people was an apparent sign that they were definitely not near his apartment. 

He lifted his head when the car engine was off and let out a trembling sigh as he straightened up in his seat. He brushed some of his hair away from his face to get a good look at the driveway they were currently in and it was clear from the maintenance and exterior that this was Gabe’s house. “C’mon,” he heard the older man mumble before beginning to get out of the car. Thankfully, William’s head was clear enough to focus on unbuckling and stepping out on his own but stumbled a bit after closing the passenger door behind him. A firm grip on his forearm helped stabilize him for a moment and turned to look at Gabe in surprise, who only offered him a small half smile before leading the both of them to the front door. 

Gabe’s house was huge with a ton of open space. It was the first thing William noticed, besides the overwhelming white and beige color scheme that appeared to be present in the walls and furniture. Not that William had made any assumptions based on his previous interactions with Gabe but he definitely did not think Gabe was the type to have such a specific taste for his own home. He froze for a moment, heart beating a bit faster at the thought of Gabe probably having a roommate, wife, or whatever. He had never asked and Gabe never shared. William suddenly felt like an intruder and his shoulders tensed up at the thought of someone approaching him and questioning who he was. 

“Uh- d-do you live alone or are you like, married?” he asked quietly, folding his arms across his chest while he glanced up at Gabe. His shoulders tensed up and Gabe immediately noticed that the latter was uncomfortable. A small frown made its way onto his face, furrowing his eyebrows as he shook his head. 

“No,” he replied, attempting to lighten the mood by letting out a small chuckle. “C’mon, I own a strip club for fuck’s sake. What kind of people do you think /that/ attracts?” 

William let out a breath he didn’t even know he was holding and dropped his arms down to his sides, fiddling with the material of his jeans as he shrugged.   
“I guess you’re right.” He bit down on his bottom lip nervously as the realization that the two of them were alone settled in. He was at a loss for words now and it was difficult gathering his thoughts. William was suddenly more self-aware and self-conscious about being alone with Gabe. It was different from sitting with him in the same office. 

Luckily, Gabe took initiative and nodded his head towards the staircase, silently suggesting William to follow him, which he did. There weren’t that many doors in the hallway and few frames were hung on the walls. He was led to what looked like a spare room, since it appeared to lack belongings of anything personal. William stepped inside slowly, glancing around at the bed, desk, and dresser before turning to look at Gabe who was already in the middle of taking out a neatly folded blanket from the closet. 

“Oh- hey. This is… really considerate of you, y’know,” he started, swiping his tongue across his bottom lip as he watched Gabe with a shy expression on his face. “You didn’t have to bring me here, or… do his, not after what I-“

“Not a big deal,” Gabe cut him off immediately, tossing the blanket onto the bed before finally making eye contact with the younger man. He knew he didn’t have to do this, but he wanted to. It was completely unnecessary, but it gave him a peace of mind knowing that William was in his home and at least safe.

William didn’t know how to respond to that and he felt too nervous to even try to hide it now. He looked down at his feet instead, hair falling down to cover his eyes. “I’m sorry,” he mumbled feebly, shrugging. He didn’t want to say what he was sorry for, since he was sure the older man would catch on. There was some tension in the air that seemed to get stronger as a few seconds passed before Gabe let out a hum. 

“I’d be more pissed if I were paying you,” he admitted, patting William’s shoulder once as he walked passed him towards the door frame. William wasn’t the type of person to let himself forget about his own mistakes, especially when they were associated with his academic career. It was embarrassing, and he was having trouble understanding why Gabe didn’t care so much. 

Gabe had let himself out and with that, William decided to brush it off for tonight at least and sat down on the edge of the bed. He was exhausted, but he couldn’t help thinking about how weird it was to be in Gabe’s house in the first place. Considering they had a professional relationship, sleeping in his house felt somewhat personal. It was similar to seeing your professor or teacher outside of school hours. He sat there for a few minutes, fidgeting with his fingers before toeing his shoes off. Knowing that Gabe lived alone made things a bit more awkward as well. Any noise made outside the guest room immediately caught his attention. The faint sound of a television, the faucet water running, or footsteps out in the hallway were much more distinct. Whenever he would hear /anything/, he found himself stopping to sit still and listen. 

Being this aware of his surroundings had William on edge and he hasn’t taken his phone out of his pocket, so he didn’t even know how long it has been before he mustered up the courage to stand up and properly get ready to go to sleep. There was another door connected to the guest room, which William had assumed was a second bathroom, but he didn’t want to use it. It took him longer than usual to feel comfortable enough to remove his jeans and head under the blanket immediately after. Sleeping in his boxers was perfectly fine and not weird at all anyway. Aside from the light in the hallway that shone under the doorframe of the guest room, the room was rather dark and the warm blanket provided a small sense of security. That, and knowing Gabe was somewhere doing something in his house added to that too. 

He must have been more tired than he thought because he doesn’t even remember closing his eyes. William felt emotionally and mentally drained after tonight’s events and he was somewhere in between staying awake and falling asleep when he heard the door open and padded footsteps. His eyelids felt heavy and he was barely aware of whatever was going on. The last thing he remembered before falling asleep was the sound of something being placed on the nightstand and a soft ‘goodnight, William’.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy New Year! Isn't the best way to start off 2018 is an updated gabilliam fic? Of course it is! As always, if anyone is interested in a gabilliam RP, please feel free to comment or message me via this site!


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